Bed sediment model
Bed sediments are an integral component of aquatic environments. In the NanoFASE water-soil-organism model, all aquatic compartments (e.g. river reaches, lake segments) have linked bed sediments, the conceptual model of which is shown below.
Conceptual model of bed sediments as a collection of bed sediment layers
A bed sediment is conceptualised as a set of discrete, fully-mixed layers of material comprising sediment, water, coarse material (optional) and associated nanomaterial. Deposition and resuspension transfer water, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and heteroaggregated nanomaterial between the aquatic compartment and the topmost bed sediment layer. The aquatic compartment is pertinent for calculation of deposition and resuspension rates.
If deposition exceeds resuspension volume on a given time step, the burial process permanently removes an amount equal to the excess deposition from the bottom of the bed sediment, such that a fixed total volume of bed sediment is maintained. The NanoFASE model tracks this burial and the amount of nanomaterial associated with it.
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Contact
Stephen Lofts
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)
Email: stlo@ceh.ac.uk